Portugal’s President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has announced that his government intends to reposition Kenya as the anchor for his country’s growing investments on the African continent.
President de Sousa stated in a media address following a bilateral meeting with a Kenyan delegation led by President Uhuru Kenyatta in Lisbon on Tuesday that Nairobi is best suited as the entry point for Portuguese commercial interests in Africa.
According to the President of the Portuguese Republic, Kenya’s stellar international profile, including its membership in the UN Security Council, leadership of the East African Community, and role in the African Union, makes Nairobi an ideal commercial partner for the southern European nation.
“We see Kenya as an intermediary in major international issues. Kenya has been the co-host of this major conference, the UN Oceans Conference. This demonstrates that this is a young country with a future. A country that looks far ahead into the future,” President de Sousa said through a translator.
The Portuguese leader also spoke about Kenya’s credentials as a guarantor of peace and stability on the African continent, describing the country as a mediator and arbiter whose “role in regional and world peace cannot be overlooked”.
He said Kenya and Portugal are enjoying a growing friendship fuelled largely by their shared history of being “platforms for contact between different civilizations and cultures”.
“Our relationship has been growing constantly bilaterally and multilaterally and therefore we were able to co-host this UN Oceans Conference. It would have been impossible for Portugal to organise this conference without Kenya’s help.
“We share the same principles regarding major problems facing humanity. We defend multilateralism. We defend the role of international organisations. We defend the role of dialogue and tolerance. We defend construction of peace in all circumstances and we are working towards that,” President de Sousa said.
President Kenyatta, for his part, stated that his visit to Portugal and meeting with President de Sousa would help strengthen ties between Nairobi and Lisbon through increased investment and people-to-people exchanges.
He praised Portugal’s assistance in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in Africa, describing Lisbon as a “calming voice” around the world.
“I also congratulate you (President de Sousa) and Portugal’s support for multilateralism. We believe in a multilateral system. We believe in compromise, ans Portugal is the same. I congratulated you Mr President on what I term as Portugal’s calming voice. A voice of calm that is going to become more and more important in a very intransigent world that we are facing,” President Kenyatta said.
Following his meeting with President de Sousa, President Kenyatta met with Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic, The Rt. Hon. António Costa, at So Bento Mansion in Lisbon, the Prime Minister’s official residence and office.
At the meeting, President Kenyatta led a Kenyan delegation that included Cabinet Secretaries Raychelle Omamo (Foreign Affairs) and Najib Balala (Tourism). Three bilateral agreements on air services, political consultations, and diplomatic training were signed.
Earlier, President Kenyatta was officially welcomed by his host, President de Sousa, at the start of his two-day state visit to the Portuguese Republic.
He was welcomed in a grand military ceremony that featured a Guard of Honor and a Gun Salute by the Forças Armada at the renowned Jerónimos Monastery in the heart of Lisbon (The Portuguese Armed Forces).
President Kenyatta spent a lot of time touring Jerónimos Monastery, a colossal example of Portuguese architecture from the 16th century that is now recognized as a world heritage site and where the graves of illustrious Portuguese figures like poet Lus de Cames and explorer Vasco da Gama are located.
After the elaborate welcome ceremony, President Kenyatta traveled a short distance to the nearby Belém Palace, the official residence of the Portuguese President, where the two leaders held their talks and addressed the media. He was escorted by a ceremonial cavalry of horse riders.